Stack is the New Black?: Evolution and Outcomes of the ‘India-Stackification’ Process

India is going through a transformative phase in its digital journey. A large part of this is enfolding in the field of digital public infrastructures as the ‘India Stack’ branded suite of technological solutions permeates through areas like digital identity, instant payments, digital commerce, and consent management. The paper traces the socio-technical imaginaries that have fueled India's digital transformation strategy and how India Stack acquired its central place in that scheme. Drawing upon India's performance on global ICT-related indices and the OECD's Good Practice Principles for Public Service Design and Delivery, the paper also examines how the country is faring in translating its visions of digital transformation into outcomes. It identifies reliance on coercive digital adoption strategies, lack of participative decision-making, and insufficient accountability safeguards as some of the fault lines in India's path to fair and equitable digital transformation.